Caleb Molomo: Bracknell armed robber jailed for five years

A 20-year-old student has been jailed for five years for two armed robberies at petrol stations in Bracknell .

Caleb Molomo of Priestwood Avenue, Bracknell, pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court on Monday, April 11 to two counts of robbery, one count of possession of an imitation firearm and one count of possession of a knife or bladed article in a public place.

He was sentenced at the same court on Friday, May 20.

The first robbery took place on Wednesday, December 23 at around 4am.

Molomo entered the BP petrol station on Wokingham Road in Bracknell and approached the staff member at the tills holding a large knife in his right hand.

He was also carrying a draw string bag which he put on the counter and demanded it be filled with the contents from the tills. He stole £231.32 and left on foot.

Then on Wednesday, February 3, Molomo ordered a taxi and requested a pick up from his home address. He then asked to be taken to the Esso petrol station in Downshire Way, Bracknell.

While he was there and in full view of the CCTV camera he used his bank card to withdraw money to pay the taxi driver.

He entered the petrol station store at 1:31am. He was wearing a distinctive jacket, distinctive trainers and had a white and black check facial covering over the lower part of his face (the same as the previous offence at the BP garage).

Left to right: CCTV image of Caleb Molomo committing the offence at the BP Garage on December 23, CCTV image of Molomo at the Esso Garage on February 3, bag of cash seized from Molomo’s university dorm room on arrest, the imitation firearm recovered from Molomo’s home address in Bracknell

Molomo placed a packet of sweets on the till and waited for the cashier to open the till.

He then demanded money from the till and exposed the handle of a black pistol from his jacket pocket. The cashier placed the cash - approximately £300 - from both tills into an Esso carrier bag, which he passed to Molomo who then left the store.

He was identified as a suspect later that day and was located and arrested on the Essex University campus in the early hours of Friday, February 5.

The Esso bag containing cash was located in his dorm room along with distinctive clothing worn in the offence. A search of his Bracknell address had also recovered the imitation firearm used to commit the offence.

"Audacious robberies"

Investigating officer, detective constable Andy Wroe of East Berkshire CID, said: "These were audacious robberies where the petrol station staff were threatened with violence, leaving them deeply upset. It was fortunate that nobody was hurt.

"Molomo’s attitude was so brazen, he called a taxi to take him to the petrol station and then calmly used the cashpoint to pay the driver before entering the shop and threatening staff with an imitation firearm and demanding cash.

"However, his behaviour was far from casual and the sentence imposed reflects the seriousness of his crime."